Danielle Walker's Against All Grain Celebrations: A Year of Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, and Paleo Recipes for Every Occasion [A Cookbook]
NAMED ONE OF THE FIVE BEST GLUTEN-FREE COOKBOOKS OF ALL TIME BY MINDBODYGREEN
When people adopt a new diet for health or personal reasons, they worry most about the parties, holidays, and events with strong food traditions, fearing their fond memories will be lost along with the newly eliminated food groups. After suffering for years with a debilitating autoimmune disease and missing many of these special occasions herself, Danielle Walker has revived the joy that cooking for holidays can bring in Danielle Walker's Against All Grain Celebrations, a collection of recipes and menus for twelve special occasions throughout the year.
Featuring a variety of birthday cakes, finger foods to serve at a baby or bridal shower, and re-creations of backyard barbecue standards like peach cobbler and corn bread, Danielle includes all of the classics. There’s a full Thanksgiving spread—complete with turkey and stuffing, creamy green bean casserole, and pies—and menus for Christmas dinner; a New Year's Eve cocktail party and Easter brunch are covered, along with suggestions for beverages and cocktails and the all-important desserts. Recipes can be mixed and matched among the various occasions, and many of the dishes are simple enough for everyday cooking. Stunning full-color photographs of every dish make browsing the pages as delightful as cooking the recipes, and beautiful party images provide approachable and creative entertaining ideas.
Making recipes using unfamiliar ingredients can cause anxiety, and while trying a new menu on a regular weeknight leaves some room for error, the meal simply cannot fail when you have a table full of guests celebrating a special occasion. Danielle has transformed her most cherished family traditions into trustworthy recipes you can feel confident serving, whether you’re hosting a special guest with food allergies, or cooking for a crowd of regular grain-eaters.
Reviews (171)
Celebrations an Essential Paleo Resource!
If you are Paleo by necessity (or have someone in your life who is): this is the book you’ve been waiting for! My Christmas dinner last year was a couple of boiled potatoes and a few slices of the (conventional but at least gluten free) ham my husband made. A few family members (we do Christmas as a pot luck) mentioned afterward that they knew I couldn’t eat what they were bringing, but were stumped for a Paleo option. For as great as the Internet is, it becomes a game of roulette when you’re searching for special occasion recipes – recipes you’re going to make once and don’t necessarily have time to test beforehand. That’s what is great about Danielle Walker’s recipes – they are foolproof. I have been Paleo for almost three years and have made countless recipes from her website and now all three of her cookbooks, and have yet to have a recipe fail me! Every possible event from New Year’s Eve, to a baby shower are covered in Celebrations; big meals (with the recipes scaled appropriately to save you the math) and small plates and seasonal treats are included, with gorgeous photos of every recipe throughout. The recipes I’ve tried so far have all been winners: - Buffalo wings with herb ranch dressing (p. 53) - Chile garlic rapini (p. 80) - Lemon bars (p. 117) – this was one of my favorite desserts as a child and I’m so glad to have it back in my life! - Skillet “corn” bread (p. 131) - Margarita (p. 135) – yes, really! - Mini “corn” dog muffins (p. 143) - Heirloom tomato, watermelon, and basil salad (p. 168) - Special sauce (p. 172) – great on burgers, eggs, pretty much anything! - Blackened salmon (p. 177) – great as chicken, too - Truffled bacon deviled eggs (p. 187) - Butternut sage carbonara (p. 224) - Roasted garlic mashed cauliflower (p. 237) - Pumpkin spice latte (p. 263) – works as a creamer, too! - Blender bread (p. 323) - Whipped coconut cream (p. 331) The only things missing – and this is as someone spoiled by Danielle’s first two cookbooks – are clear cooktimes at the beginning of each recipe and a picture index of the recipes. These formatting preferences aside, Celebrations is the essential special occasion resource for anyone following a Paleo template.
Cause for Celebration
I have all of Danielle Walker's cook books and love them all. Celebrations does not disappoint. Actually, I think her cook books just keep getting better. This one is separated according to the different events we celebrate in life. From most major holidays to a birthday party to a Super Bowl party, you will find something in here for everybody! Some of my favorites are Cauliflower Buffalo Bites, Sweet & Sour Meatballs, Cupid's Arrow Pancakes, Skillet "Corn" Bread, Curry Pumpkin Soup, Roasted Autumn Harvest Salad, Herbed Drop Biscuits, Green Bean Casserole with Crispy Shallots, Apple Sausage Stuffing, Grain Free Wraps, Sausage Breakfast Casserole and her Blender Bread. Those are just some of the savory dishes. That's not even mentioning the sweets! Some of the recipes are super easy, some of them are a bit more complicated, but I have yet to try one I didn't like. If you want to recreate some of your celebratory comfort foods, but need to eat a grain free, dairy free diet then this book is a great choice!
Another incredible book from Danielle Walker!
My husband is on a strict diet by choice and I am on a strict diet by necessity and it's such a relief to be able to pull out this cookbook and just make anything I want out of it knowing it meets all our needs. It's a relief that Danielle has spent so much time really figuring out which foods are in their purest form and which ones you should stay away from. Her cookbooks are my greatest asset in the kitchen. Everything I've made from them has always turned out great. I've taken so many dishes to parties and no one ever had a clue they weren't filled with flour and refined sugar. If you want to eat the foods you love without all the terrible ingredients you've got to get Danielle's books!!
everyone needs this cookbook
This is my new favorite cookbook. If you eat a paleo diet, or just are looking to clean up the way you eat, this cookbook is for you. Danielle walks you through every holiday with a full menu of recipes to enjoy. But, if you think this cookbook is only for the holidays, you are very mistaken. These recipes can be used year round. When you start out with a diet change, it can feel incredibly overwhelming. When a holiday comes, it's easy to fall off the wagon. The menu plans in the cookbook take out the guesswork and make planning easy. The recipes all look and sound delicious, and aren't made with absurd ingredients that are hard to track down. I live in a small farm down, and am able to find everything needed with ease.
A must-have kitchen staple
This cookbook is a must-have kitchen staple in a home with an autoimmune disease sufferer. The mother of a teen young lady battling UC, I have found Ms. Walker's cookbooks extremely helpful. She has taken most of the work out of trying to "adapt" recipes so they are tasty and keep ingredients out that may instigate disease symptoms. We still have to make minor changes sometimes but find that the Against All Grain cookbooks require fewer changes than other books. Thank you for doing all the hard work and for sharing your wealth of knowledge. We have used this cookbook's recipes for birthdays, Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays and will be using it for many celebrations to come. Not the best photo, here is the first cake we made from this cookbook: vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream frosting. When someone in your family suffers from an AD, it is beyond a blessing to be able to still give them treats such as this.
Love this book!
I seriously love this book. I've only made a few things out of it, as it's clearly for special occasions. However, with Thanksgiving having just passed we had a good chance to test some stuff out. As always, Danielle didn't disappoint! We've made ( and loved) the leg of lamb, green bean casserole, chicken chili soup, buffalo cauliflower, and a cake! Can't wait to try out even more stuff!!
Another wonderful Paleo cookbook from Danielle Walker!
I can not say enough positive things about this incredible cookbook. What is so special about Celebrations, is how Danielle has remade all those iconic meals that you eat during holidays and celebrations, but into healthier, paleo versions. She has recipes for New Year’s Eve, Game Day, Valentines, Easter, Mother’s Day luncheon, Father’s Day Cookout, Birthday Parties, Fourth of July Barbecue, Summer Shower, Halloween, Autumn Dinner Party, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Not only does she include incredible, well tested, reliable recipes, she also has filled the book with so many tips and tricks. Most recipes have tidbit notes on how different brands of paleo products fair in the recipes, or make-ahead tips to simplify a party prep. The front of the book is filled with more grain-free recipe tips and ten wonderful tips for effortless entertaining. And just like her other two books, she includes an extensive ingredient glossary and substitutions and her recommended kitchen gear. The recipe index in the back makes for simple holiday meal planning. You can access all the nutritional data for each recipe online.One of my favorite little perks- this cookbook LAYS FLAT ON IT’S OWN. Which is basically mind-boggling to me and makes cooking so much easier. Even though the recipes are geared towards holidays, they are simple enough and delicious enough to make as part of an every day meal as well. These have been added to our regular rotation. My family doesn't eat paleo or have any dietary needs, and yet they have loved these recipes just as much as I have. The recipes cook up like traditional non-paleo recipes, but in a healthier way, which is really fantastic. I don't feel the need to make 2 separate dinners for paleo and non-paleo people. I have cooked through many of the recipes including: - A,B,&J Hand Sandwiches (pg. 144) - Deviled Eggs, Four Ways (pg. 187) - Skillet "Corn" Bread (pg 131) - Mini "Corn Dog" Muffins (pg. 143) - Chocolate Cake (pg. 152) - Vanilla Buttercream (pg. 160) - Lemon Bars (pg. 117) - Pumpkin Spice Latte (pg. 263) - Gingerbread Latte (pg. 272). I promise, this cookbook will not disappoint!
Best Grain Free Recipes Around!
Danille Walker's "Against All Grains" is an incredible cookbook. My family and I have loved pretty much every recipe that I have tried so far-a considerable number! I used the "Celebrations" book and made a grain free Thanksgiving meal this year. No one had any complaints and the general consensus is that they wouldn't have even notice if I hadn't mentioned it. I have been gluten free for close to 10 years and have been refining my diet to exclude corn, oats, and other grains and starches often used in GF recipes. The recipes offered in Walker's books are by far superior others I have tried. Great job Danielle Walker!
Without exaggeration one of the absolute best cookbooks you could own
Without exaggeration one of the absolute best cookbooks you could own. Danielle Walker is an exceptionally thoughtful and talented cook and baker, with ample testing going behind each one of her recipes. If you choose to be Paleo, or are on an allergen free diet for medical reasons this will be your guide book to all things navigating holidays. I miss bread, and the occasional sweets, but mostly just not feeling like everyone else at the dinner table. I have tried multiple recipes out on my family, and majority of the time they are asking for seconds, or the recipe. Danielle has mastered the balance between feeding a community in desperate need of good and healthy food for our bodies, while satisfying all audiences who may never know what they are missing. I always walk away from a recipe of hers, encouraged at the ease (in how she writes her instructions and in the process overall) and feeling WELL. When you eat well, you feel well. Food is medicine, and you can still enjoy fudge too. Paleo fudge at least...in moderation! :)
So much to love in this one
So much to love in this one! Purchased this in the fall and have happily followed the holidays & seasons of the book. So impressed by much of the baking, which I think is the most difficult part of paleo or grain free. The gingersnaps are ridiculously good; made them four times in December. The 'cornbread' was a hit with family over Thanksgiving with many recipe requests and surprise once I mentioned the bread to be paleo. Could go on and on, am once again thoroughly impressed by the work Danielle Walker puts into these recipes. This book is especially valued as someone with Celiac Disease, holidays are often stressful and require more meal pre-planning than usual. These recipes are so delicious those who don't have any medical dietary restrictions will be more than happy to eat them all!
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